According to an editorial for the New Zealand Medical Journal published on Friday, the damage caused by storms this year is a "pale version of whats to come" due to global warming, making climate change a health issue as well as an environmental one. Climate and health scientists predicted on Friday that as the climate changes, storms like Cyclone Gabrielle will have a greater impact on peoples health in New Zealand.

According to the researchers from the University of Auckland and the University of Otago, several communities are already at a disadvantage, such as Maori, Pacific, disabled people, low-income households, and those living in subpar housing, as they are disproportionately affected by these health effects. They also noted that land use patterns render people more vulnerable to the effects of changes in weather events. It also increases the frequency and severity of health issues due to climate pollution.

The editorial noted that leptospirosis cases in Hawkes Bay are rising as a result of Cyclone Gabrielles floodwaters and that childrens gastroenteritis cases typically rise during periods of heavy rain in New Zealand. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1070190 )